NLJ: Law School Rankings By Graduates In BigLaw Jobs

National Law Journal, The 2018 Go-To Law Schools:

New associate hiring held strong in 2017, with the country’s largest 100 law firms bringing on 4,199 recent law graduates. Among the 50 schools most popular with those firms, 29 percent of last year’s graduates landed associate jobs, up slightly from the previous year. We’ve ranked the top 50 law schools according to the percentage of their 2017 juris doctor graduates who took associate jobs at the largest 100 firms. 

1. Columbia
2. Chicago
3. NYU
4. Virginia
5. Pennsylvania
6. Northwestern
7. Duke
8. Harvard
9. Cornell
10. UC-Berkeley
11. Stanford
12. Georgetown
13. Vanderbilt
14. Michigan
15. UCLA
16. USC
17. Texas
18. Yale
19. Boston University
20. Fordham

Columbia Law School Tops The List
Columbia Law School has landed at the No. 1 spot on our Go-To List for half a decade. In 2017, the Manhattan school sent nearly 68 percent of graduates into Big Law associate jobs.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Top 50 Go-To Law Schools
These schools sent the highest percentage of 2017 graduates to associate jobs at the largest 100 firms.

Associates to Partner
These schools saw the most alumni promoted to partner in 2017.

Tuition
Here’s a look at how much it costs to attend a law school that has a strong Big Law track record.

Go-To Law Schools vs. U.S. News
How our rankings match up with theirs.

Firm Favorites
See which law schools firms hired from the most.

All Schools Data
See hiring stats for every school that sent a 2017 graduate to one of the largest 100 firms.

Explore the Data Behind the Go-To Law Schools
Our interactive database allows you to search where each Go-To law school sent graduates, and from which schools the largest 100 firms hired new associates.

SLIDESHOWS
Check out our slideshows for added commentary on the 50 Go-To Law Schools
Go-To Law Schools: 41-50
Go-To Law Schools: 31-40
Go-To Law Schools: 21-30
Go-To Law Schools: 11-20
Go-To Law Schools: 1-10